What Love? What Love!

Over the past weekend, I had the opportunity to take some of the members of my youth group over to Gatlinburg for a Youth Retreat. We spent all day Friday doing academics focusing on the idea of what the you needed to know to be prepared to lead the church in the future. We covered many topics and yet a topic that was not completely planned got brought out. We talked about different styles of studying and I brought up the concept of a word study. The most common study that falls into this category is that of Love.

As I prepared for my lesson tonight, I kept going back to this concept of love. I kept thinking about the different words for love in the Greek language and all the times that it is used in the bible. I thought about the different meanings of each word like Ludus and Eros, and I realized. Every time God referenced God’s love for us, God uses this word for unconditional love, agape. It seems so simple to understand that God loves us, but the reality of this comes when a youth member gets so overwhelmed by God’s love for humanity. The love of God is unconditional.

Humanity tends to love those who are lovable. We are very practical when it comes to our love. We love those who love us in return, those who are willing to be with us, those who share the same space as us, and even those who are just willing to make physical contact with us. We use the word “love” to accomplish goals of physical intimacy, as a rope to keep someone nearby out of fear of being alone, as a joke and to communicate with our family that we are very thankful for who they are. God on the other hand does none of these things.

God’s love for humanity is limitless and unconditional. We do not have to be lovable for God to love us, and we do not have to love God for God to love us. God proves this over and over and uses this word “agape” to show to us that God’s love has nothing to do with us. God loves because God loves. I find this proven in a very powerful verse: 1 John 1:12.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” (1 John 1:12 KVJ)

This verse brings forth the concept that even though some of humanity will not accept God, God still showed the ultimate sign of love for humanity.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13 KJV)

God showed us this amazing love of unconditional love through the action of laying God’s life down for us. Christ who is God sacrificed himself on a cross to pay for the sins of all humanity. Christ did this in the midst of us constantly sinning (not being lovable), us condemning Him (not loving him), and with God the father turning His own eyes away (laying his own life down). If you are truly struggling with the concept of God’s love for you, understand that no matter what you have said or done, no matter the next step you take, God offers God’s love to you. It is as simple as believing.

The most amazing part to me is that although I have written so many words, I have not even scratched the surface of the love God has for humanity.